Department for Education

Schools: Performance Standards

Lord Watson of Invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the response by Lord Nash of 23 November to the 10th Report of the Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee on the Education and Adoption Bill, whether it is possible to amend the definition of a coasting school in primary legislation using the powers in clause 15 of that bill.

Lord Nash: It is not possible to amend the definition of a coasting school in primary legislation using the powers in clause 15 of the Education and Adoption Bill. Clause 15 can only be used to make transitional or savings provisions about the coming into force of the Bill, or to make provision consequential to any provision of the Bill. Neither of these grounds would apply to an amendment to the definition of a coasting school. It would not have to be done as a consequence of the Bill, as the Bill already gives a means and procedure for defining coasting.

Academies

Lord Watson of Invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to publish monthly information on those academies that have transferred from one academy trust to another, together with an explanation as to why those transfers have taken place.

Lord Nash: Information on the current academy trust is in the public domain through Edubase.The Department has no plan to publish such information on a monthly basis. The Department regularly publishes a variety of information.

Academies

Lord Watson of Invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will publish in their list of academies the trust identification number for each academy and that trust's Companies House registration number.

Lord Nash: Information on current open academies and their trust name is published on Edubase online. The trust name can be used to search for the trust’s Companies House registration number on the Companies House website.The Department has no plan to publish in its list of open academies the trust identification number for each academy and the trust's Companies House registration number. The Department regularly publishes a variety of information.

Academies

Lord Watson of Invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will publish in their list of sponsors of academies the sponsor identification number for each sponsor, and the trust identification number for each academy trust that the sponsor is sponsoring.

Lord Nash: The Department has no plan to publish in its list of sponsors of academies the sponsor and trust identification number for each sponsor and trust. The Department regularly publishes a variety of information.Information on current open academies, together with their sponsor and trust name, can be found on Edubase online.Sponsor information is also available within the Department’s monthly list of open academies and academy projects in development, which can be found on GOV.UK.

Department for Work and Pensions

Immigration: EU Nationals

Lord Kinnock: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will provide all factual evidence they have, together with their sources, that UK in-work and out-of-work benefits are a factor in encouraging immigration to the UK from other EU member states.

Lord Freud: The benefits system is one of a range of factors attracting migrants to Britain. Net migration to the UK stood at 336,000 in the year to June 2015 according to the November 2015 Migration Statistics Quarterly Report from the Office for National Statistics, and EU nationals are a significant contributor to recent increases. Meanwhile, an analysis of administrative data held by the Department for Work and Pensions showed that between 37% and 45% of all recent EU migrants were in households supported by the benefits system as of March 2013.The Government has already introduced tough new measures to ensure that EU jobseekers will have no access to means-tested benefits whatsoever as Universal Credit is rolled out.And now we want to ensure that the welfare system plays no part in the migration decisions of any EU national. The Prime Minister is therefore pursuing further reforms to ensure that EU migrants who come to the UK for low-paid work cannot claim in-work benefits until they have lived here and contributed to our country for a minimum of four years.

Department of Health

Alcoholic Drinks: Counterfeit Manufacturing

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action the National Food Crime Unit is taking to protect consumers from counterfeit alcoholic drinks.

Lord Prior of Brampton: During November, the National Food Crime Unit (NFCU) jointly headed Operation OPSON, which encourages participating countries to observe a period of particular focus on fake and illicit food and drink. A day of action against counterfeit vodka took place on 11 November. Intelligence gathered from seizures will be fed into the NFCU and results sent onwards to Europol for analysis. Alongside this, the NFCU will conduct its own assessment in order to inform the overall understanding of the threat. This assessment will be published after the official publication of the OPSON results by Europol/Interpol.The NFCU has also worked with partners (including HM Revenue & Customs, the Intellectual Property Office, UK Border Force, the National Trading Standards Intelligence Hub and Food Standards Scotland) to form a counterfeit alcohol working group. This group is working to improve the United Kingdom’s strategic understanding of the threats from counterfeit and substandard alcohol.In support of the Food Standards Agency’s wine inspectorate, the NFCU is coordinating enquiries with the Government Agency Intelligence Network and with the European Food Fraud Network in relation to wine fraud. The NFCU has also developed an intelligence bulletin to be shared with local trading standards and other agencies nationwide in order to raise awareness of this form of crime and increase reporting.

NHS: Drugs

Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what evaluation they have carried out of the potential cost savings from centralised procurement of common generic drugs in the light of evidence from other countries using high volume contracts.

Lord Prior of Brampton: On behalf of National Health Service secondary care establishments (hospitals) in England the Department’s Commercial Medicines Unit undertakes a long established centralised tender programme for framework agreements for generic medicines. This is in compliance with European Union procurement regulations.

Hepatitis

Lord Mancroft: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the national framework for hepatitis C, due for release in spring 2015, will be published, and why it has been delayed.

Lord Prior of Brampton: A date for publication of the hepatitis C improvement framework has not yet been set. Public Health England continues working with NHS England and Operational Delivery Networks (ODNs) to establish a process of monitoring hepatitis C treatment access and uptake.Following their establishment in August 2015, ODNs will need to continue to be developed as a mechanism for ensuring equitable access to expert multidisciplinary team care and treatment for hepatitis C. ODNs are working to develop their plans, based on the published service specification and with the support of local specialised commissioning teams and regional clinical directors of specialised commissioning. Work is also underway to establish by February 2016 a national network of ODN clinical leads to share good practice. In addition, the draft hepatitis C improvement framework includes a number of areas pertinent to ODN operation and will therefore support further development of their role.

Hepatitis: Drugs

Lord Mancroft: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that NHS England and Public Health England provide data demonstrating that there is equitable access to the new hepatitis C treatment.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Public Health England is working with NHS England and the Clinical Leads of the Operational Delivery Networks to ensure that a minimum data set is collected to allow monitoring of patients being treated. Limited demographic information will be requested to help interpret this information in the context of the whole infected population to help assess whether treatment access is as equitable as possible.

Hepatitis: Drugs

Lord Mancroft: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they plan to measure the effectiveness of the implementation of the new medicines for hepatitis C treatment, and when they will publish those results.

Lord Prior of Brampton: NHS England has advised that it is working with Public Health England and the clinical leads of the operational delivery networks to agree a common dataset which will enable the effectiveness of new medicines for hepatitis C to be measured.

Care Homes

Baroness Redfern: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assistance is being offered to social work teams to equip them with the necessary resources to provide high quality and affordable residential care both (1) nationally, and (2) in North Lincolnshire.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Government is committed to improving the quality of adult social care and has taken a number of steps to improve it in all localities.The Department is working with its delivery partner Skills for Care to improve training and development for the workforce. In April 2015, we introduced a Certificate of Fundamental Care, now known as the Care Certificate. This will help ensure that care workers can deliver a consistently high quality standard of care.The Department is funding and working with a number of organisations, including the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), Skills for Care, the Social Care Institute for Excellence, the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services and the Local Government Association on a range of projects to help adult social care organisations and staff improve the quality of care. These resources include new NICE Quality Standards and Guidelines, which bring clarity to what excellence looks like in care.Ultimately it is a local decision as to how to allocate resources for social care, as such the Department cannot comment specifically on North Lincolnshire.

Social Services

Baroness Redfern: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures are being introduced to improve access to information and advice for those choosing specialist care packages to ensure that the support they receive is best suited to their individual requirements.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Care Act 2014 places a duty on local authorities to establish and maintain information and advice services relating to care and support for all people in its area. Statutory guidance sets out the detail of what this is required to cover and the manner it in which it should be provided. This includes providing information and advice to those people who are known to the local authority and the wider population, and to those who have not presented to local authorities for assessment but are likely to be in need of care and support. Where it appears to a local authority that an adult may have needs for care and support, the authority must assess their needs. The aim of the assessment is to identify what needs the person may have and what outcomes they are looking to achieve to maintain or improve their wellbeing. The outcome of the assessment is to provide a full picture of the individual’s needs so that a local authority can provide an appropriate response at the right time to meet the level of the person’s needs. This might range from offering guidance and information to arranging for services to meet those needs. The Department has supported local authorities to meet this duty with a range of practical and practice based guides, developed with a wide range of interests through the Think Local Act Personal partnership. General information on care and support is provided nationally through the NHS Choices website. This includes a search facility for all registered providers of care and support that gives practical and quality information on their services. This information is available for all local authorities and other providers of care and support information to re-use through syndication.

Social Services

Baroness Redfern: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they intend to encourage local authorities to include personal assessments as part of a broader care programme alongside other measures to help individuals to achieve greater control over the support they receive.

Lord Prior of Brampton: One of the overarching aims of the Care Act 2014 is to give people more choice and control over their care and support. Local authorities must assess any person who appears to have care and support needs. The aim of the needs assessment is to identify what needs individuals may have, what impact these needs have on their wellbeing, and what outcomes they are looking to achieve. The Act also requires that the person, their carer and anyone else they request must be involved in the assessment.The Act clarifies that one method of carrying out an assessment is through a supported self-assessment, where the person and local authority carry out the assessment jointly. This gives the person more control over their own assessment and supports their involvement in the development of their care and support plan.The Department published statutory guidance which provides more detail on the assessment provisions for local authorities. The Department also commissioned Skills for Care and the Social Care Institute for Care Excellence to develop materials to support local authorities with the implementation of the assessment requirements, including supported self-assessment.

Carers

Baroness Redfern: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment the Department for Health has made of the number of adult carers in the UK, and the capacity of those carers to provide an improved quality of care to individuals in their own homes.

Lord Prior of Brampton: We have assumed the Noble Lady is referring to informal, unpaid, carers rather than to paid care workers.The 2011 Census indicated that there are approximately 6.26 million adults with informal caring responsibilities in the United Kingdom.The Government recognises the invaluable contribution made by unpaid carers and the importance of supporting them in their caring roles. That is why we continue to support implementation of the improved rights for carers enshrined in The Care Act 2014. This includes a right to an assessment on the appearance of needs for support that will look at a carer’s wellbeing in their own right and what support they may need in their caring role.The Department has provided £104 million of funding to local authorities for these rights in 2015/16, which include, for the first time, a legal duty on local authorities to meet carers’ eligible needs for support. We have also made an additional £400 million available to the NHS between 2011 and 2015 to provide carers with breaks from their caring responsibilities to sustain them in their caring role. The carers’ breaks funding of £130 million for 2015/16 is in the Better Care Fund.The Department is also leading the development of a new cross-Government National Carers Strategy that will look at what more we can do to support existing carers and future carers.

Mental Health Services: Expenditure

Lord Bradley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Clinical Commissioning Groups in England have achieved real terms increases in spending on mental health services in 2015–16.

Lord Bradley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government which Clinical Commissioning Groups in England have achieved real terms increases in spending on mental health services in 2015–16.

Lord Bradley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will publish data about actual spending on mental health services for each Clinical Commissioning Group in England in 2015–16.

Lord Bradley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the planning guidance for the NHS for 2016–17 will include a requirement for Clinical Commissioning Groups to achieve real term increases in mental health spending.

Lord Bradley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to audit (1) NHS England, and (2) Clinical Commissioning Groups in England, on their expenditure on mental health services during this Parliament.

Lord Prior of Brampton: As part of the mental health parity of esteem requirement for 2015-16, clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) were asked to plan for an increase in spend on mental health services at least in line with the increase in their overall funding allocation for the year, which set a higher bar than achieving a real terms increase in spending, though not all CCGs were able to achieve this target. 192 of the 209 CCGs achieved a real terms growth in mental health planned spend measured against the 1.4% Gross Domestic Product (GDP) deflator for 2015-16.The list attached shows which CCGs have achieved real terms increases in spending on mental health in 2015-16.The final data for CCGs’ spending on mental health in 2015-16 will be submitted to NHS England by commissioners in May 2016, and it is anticipated NHS England may be in a position to provide final spend information by around the end of the first quarter of 2016-17.NHS England has not yet published CCG planning guidance for 2016-17. Consideration will be given to holding commissioners to account for spending on mental health.CCG and NHS England mental health spending information is now routinely collected as party of NHS England’s monthly financial reporting regime. Monthly financial reports by CCGs are scrutinised and quality assessed by NHS England’s regional teams. The monthly reports also form part of the CCG assurance process. NHS England is also in the process of setting up the financial plan assurance process for 2016-17, which will incorporate the review of planned spending on mental health services for future years.



CCG Mental Health Spending
(Excel SpreadSheet, 19.34 KB)

Mental Health Services

Lord Bradley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have received from mental health organisations about the next NHS mandate.

Lord Prior of Brampton: A public consultation on the Government’s Mandate to NHS England took place earlier this year, to which 139 organisations of various types responded. Those concerned specifically with mental health included the Mental Health Foundation, the Mental Health Policy Group and the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition. Charities and patient groups that responded, especially those with an interest in long-term conditions, often made reference to the impact of such conditions on the mental health of those that they represent.The Government response to the consultation, published on 17 December 2015, summarises these concerns and sets out its response to them. A copy of the document is attached.



NHS Mandate
(PDF Document, 332.03 KB)

Sugar

Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether there is a growing health problem at all ages connected to excess consumption of sugar, and if they consider that there is such a problem, what new measures they will take to reverse the trend.

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much obesity-related conditions and illnesses cost the NHS annually; and what action they are taking in line with the recommendations of Public Health England to tackle obesity and the excessive consumption of sugar.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition published its report Carbohydrates and Health in July 2015, which found that consuming too much sugar can lead to weight gain. It recommended that no more than 5% of energy in our diet should be from sugar. We are currently consuming over double the recommended limit for sugar; with children and teenagers consuming around three times the recommended level.A copy of Carbohydrates and Health is attached and available at:www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/445503/SACN_Carbohydrates_and_Health.pdf Alongside this, we requested that Public Health England (PHE), as an Executive Agency of the Department, to prepare evidence for the Government on reducing sugar consumption. We are currently working very closely with PHE and its evidence is integral to the development of our forthcoming childhood obesity strategy. A copy of PHE’s report Sugar Reduction: The evidence for action is attached and available at: www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/470179/Sugar_reduction_The_evidence_for_action.pdf An analysis of the economic burden of a range of risk factors for chronic disease estimated that overweight and obesity cost the National Health Service £5.1 billion per year. A copy of the analysis The economic burden of ill health due to diet, physical inactivity, smoking, alcohol and obesity in the UK: an update to 2006-07 NHS costs is attached and available at: http://jpubhealth.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2011/05/11/pubmed.fdr033.full.pdf+html



Economic Burden of Ill Health
(PDF Document, 119.17 KB)




PHE Sugar Reduction Report
(PDF Document, 1.09 MB)




SACN Carbohydrates & Health
(PDF Document, 2.39 MB)

Dermatology: Drugs

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many of the Clinical Commissioning Groups in England and Wales have prevented access to dermatology specials for their patients on the grounds of cost in the last five years.

Lord Prior of Brampton: This information is not collected centrally.

Medical Equipment: Procurement

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what account they will take of the representations by the Wound Care Alliance UK regarding the NHS Supply Chain generic project plans for a national formulary for wound care.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The NHS Supply Chain is co-ordinating the production of clinical specifications by a Clinical Specifications Working Group, who are representing their customers in capacity of experts in wound care. This group, the Clinical Specifications Working Group, is independent of the NHS Supply Chain set up by the Clinical Reference Board.The Clinical Specification Working Group has engaged with various stakeholders, including the Tissue Viability Society, in the process and will ultimately approve the resultant specifications.

Medical Equipment: Procurement

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether educational and patient-orientated organisations were involved in the planning of the NHS Supply Chain generic project plans for a national formulary for wound care.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Clinical Specification Working Group has academic representation on the group from England and Wales. Patient orientated organisations may be involved, as appropriate, at an evaluation stage though they have not engaged with them at this point.

Medical Equipment: Procurement

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they plan to ensure that, in the implementation of the NHS Supply Chain generic project plans for a national formulary for wound care, innovative small companies are not at a disadvantage in bidding for contracts.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Innovation is welcomed as part of this process and the clinical specifications may support smaller companies who demonstrate their capability to meet the requirements. One advantage of the NHS Supply Chain venture for smaller companies is that it can act as a single point of entry into the National Health Service and lower the ‘cost of sales’.

Medical Equipment: Procurement

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the clinical and ethical justifications for setting the benchmark in the NHS Supply Chain generic project plans for a national formulary for wound care that 80 per cent of patients will be treated using clinically appropriate dressings.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The wide variety of choice in the current system is leading to duplication of wound care products. This can create more complexity for nurses and clinicians, making their clinical decisions more difficult and potentially leading to over specification and variation in standards of care. Of the 4,796 wound care products available through the NHS Supply Chain, 34% of lines have had no sales in the last 12 months.Providing an agreed set of National Health Service requirements for wound care products will start to reduce this duplication, complexity and therefore potential risk, helping to improve patient outcomes through less variation in care.This issue was also highlighted by 74% of respondents to a Royal College of Nursing survey run by Nursing Times (Dec 2014) seeing opportunities to reduce duplication on wound care products, (more than any other type of product).The project is part of a wider piece of work the Department is working with the NHS Supply Chain on to deliver £300 million of savings by October 2018. Central to this is reducing the number of specifications and variations by category so the NHS can leverage its scale and deliver clinically appropriate solutions that represent ‘value for money’. Such approaches are common in other countries and help drive savings, improve clinical standards and protect front line nursing.

Medical Equipment: Procurement

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to monitor the impact of the introduction of the NHS Supply Chain generic project plans for a national formulary for wound care.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The NHS Supply Chain can provide data analysis on the usage of products procured through their route.Incidents raised through the use of the products would be monitored by individual NHS trust clinical staff and appropriate investigations would be instigated.

Cabinet Office

Electoral Register: Foreign Nationals

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether it is their intention that, in the event of the UK ceasing to be a member of the EU, citizens of the Republic of Ireland who live in the UK would cease to qualify to register as electors in the UK.

Lord Bridges of Headley: The Prime Minister believes Britain’s best future lies within a reformed European Union. He is focused on addressing the concerns of the British people and is confident that the right agreement can be reached.

Government Departments: Archives

Lord Rodgers of Quarry Bank: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their latest assessment of the arrangements for preserving departmental archives, including the role of the Cabinet Secretary.

Lord Bridges of Headley: Each government department is responsible for managing its own records up to the point when such records are transferred to the National Archives. This complies with the Lord Chancellor’s Code of Practice on the management of records issued under section 46 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.The Cabinet Secretary has commissioned two recent reviews of record management practices. The first covered the arrangements for the annual release of departmental papers to the National Archives and was published in November 2014. The second, which was published earlier this month, focuses on the transition from paper-based to electronic record keeping; HM Government has accepted all the recommendations of the review and will begin to implement the actions he recommends through the course of 2016.

Senior Civil Servants: Training

Lord Norton of Louth: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many members of the Senior Civil Service have taken courses provided by Civil Service Learning that are intended to enhance their understanding of the role of the House of Lords, in (1) 2014, and (2) 2015.

Lord Bridges of Headley: Civil Service Learning provide two e-learning courses that address this subject area – “Induction: An introduction to Parliament” and “Parliamentary processes”. They also provide face to face training on taking a Bill through Parliament, however on this training attendees are not required to provide information on their grades. Civil Service Learning also endorse and promote two relevant external courses to the Senior Civil Service – “Supporting Ministers” and “Civil Service Attachment Scheme” both provided by the Industry and Parliament Trust.In total 80 Senior Civil Servants accessed this learning in 2014. In 2015 this number rose to 90. All numbers have been rounded to the nearest ten.

Civil Servants: Training

Lord Norton of Louth: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to introduce a Civil Service parliamentary scheme to enhance civil servants' awareness of the role of both Houses of Parliament.

Lord Bridges of Headley: The Industry and Parliament Trust run the established Civil Service Attachment Scheme (CSAS) and Civil Service Learning endorses the use of this scheme, subject to departmental budgetary approval. This programme enables Civil Servants to shadow MPs, Peers (and MEPs where relevant) both in parliament and in their constituencies.Civil Service Learning provide two courses that address this subject area – “Induction: An introduction to Parliament” and “Parliamentary processes”. They also provide training on taking a Bill through Parliament.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Flood Control: Finance

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to match revenue spending on flood defence and protection measures to capital spending, and whether they plan to move towards a total expenditure budget for such measures.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: We are investing £2.3 billion in 1,500 flood defence improvement schemes over the next six years. This will provide better protection to at least 300,000 households, up to 420,000 acres of agricultural land, over 200 miles of railway and 340 miles of roads. The Government has confirmed that flood maintenance funding will be protected in real terms for the duration of this Parliament.There are no plans to move towards a total expenditure budget for flood defence and protection in this Parliament. The Environment Agency have advised us that the current funding is an optimal mix of resources funding (for maintaining defences) and capital funding to rebuild and improve defences as set out in the 6 year investment programme. We do not believe that there would be significant additional benefits from this flexibility at this stage.

Veterinary Medicine

Baroness Byford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many veterinarians qualified in each of the last 10 years, broken down by gender.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, the regulatory body for the veterinary profession in the UK, has confirmed that the breakdown of new UK registrants for the each of the last 10 years is as follows:-YearGenderCountTotal per year2005F8282005M490=13182006F9102006M458=13682007F9132007M488=14012008F9202008M391=13112009F9212009M351=12722010F9632010M358=13212011F10412011M425=14662012F10842012M461=15452013F11032013M499=16022014F11662014M504=16702015F14422015M632=2074

Agriculture: Technology

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the potential benefit of agricultural technologies to farmers.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: We considered the evidence on the benefits of agricultural technologies to farmers when we developed our Agri-Tech Strategy in 2013. This included OECD evidence that growth in agricultural productivity depends on three factors: (i) technological change (innovation); (ii) technical efficiency (the ability of farmers to access the best technologies); and (iii) economies of scale.The Agri-Tech Strategy recognised that we had not been as successful in recent decades as some of our competitors in getting new agricultural technologies from research to the farm. This is why we are investing £160 million through the Strategy to help rebuild the pipeline of innovation.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what testing for bovine tuberculosis has been conducted on badgers that were killed as part of the cull to eradicate bovine tuberculosis.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Badgers culled under licence in Somerset and Gloucestershire in 2013 - 2015 and Dorset this year were not routinely tested for tuberculosis (TB), since this research had already been carried out under the Randomised Badger Cull Trial (RBCT).However, testing of badgers between 1998 and 2005 via the RBCT and Road Traffic Accident surveys provided evidence of the typical prevalence of TB in badgers in areas of high incidence of TB in cattle. TB was found in around one third of all badgers in these areas.

Animal Products: Transport

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have instigated, or are aware of, measures that prevent the sending of sporting trophies, such as deer horns, to Switzerland or the US.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The export of sporting trophies to the USA and Switzerland is possible in principle. Each consignment would have to comply with import conditions imposed by those countries. Any consignment would also have to comply with EU animal by-product regulations relating to the provenance, condition and treatment of the material.

Heathrow Airport: Air Pollution

Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they have taken since 2010 to reduce air pollution caused by traffic journeys to Heathrow airport and in its immediate vicinity, and what was the outcome of those measures.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: While the relevant local authority would be best placed to provide details on any specific measures, over recent decades, air quality has improved significantly. Between 2005 and 2013 emissions of nitrogen oxides have fallen by 38% and particulate matter has reduced by more than 16%. The Government is investing heavily in transport measures to reduce air pollution and since 2011 has committed £2 billion to increase the uptake of ultra-low emission vehicles, support green transport initiatives and support Local Authorities to take action.On 17 December, we issued the UK plan for improving air quality. It sets out a comprehensive approach that will reduce health impacts and meet our environmental and legal obligations. It is available on the GOV.UK website.

Butterflies

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the reported decline in the population of resident and regular migrant butterflies in the UK, and whether they are taking any action to prevent further decline.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Defra publishes an annual indicator on butterfly abundance, using data collected by volunteers. Large fluctuations are typical of butterfly populations but in England the indicator shows that butterfly numbers have generally fallen since 1990, although with numbers of some common species stabilising over the last five years.In England, we will take forward our manifesto commitment to produce a 25 year strategy for the environment, which will include biodiversity. Our approach will be designed to meet the habitat needs of many species including butterflies. In England’s National Pollinator Strategy we are aiming to expand flower rich habitats across different types of land to benefit pollinators including butterflies.The England network of protected areas provides benefits for many species even when those areas are not specifically designated for the conservation of those particular species. This network includes local and national sites protected under domestic legislation and international sites protected under European and International law. Some of these sites are specifically designated for species of particular importance, including the marsh fritillary butterfly, which is a notified feature of a number of Special Areas of Conservation, designated under the Habitats Directive.Agri-environment schemes play a major role in the conservation of butterflies in England. For instance, across grassland habitats in Dorset, between 1990 and 2010 the marsh fritillary increased in abundance by around 278% on land managed under these schemes.In the summer of 2014 the critically endangered high brown fritillary experienced its best season since 2004 with numbers increasing by more than 180% as compared to 2013 across Dartmoor, Exmoor, and Morecambe Bay in Lancashire and sites in the Lake District.The Wild Pollinator and Farm Wildlife Package in the new Countryside Stewardship scheme contain options to improve habitats and provide nectar sources for butterflies. It will play a key role in supporting the National Pollinator Strategy.

Flood Control: Expenditure

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the total capital and current spending on (1) drainage, and (2) flood prevention, by (a) local authorities in England, and (b) the Environment Agency, in each of the past ten years and in the current year.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Local authorities decide what to spend on drainage and flood prevention depending on local priorities. The Department for Communities and Local Government publishes statistics on local authorities’ revenue expenditure and capital expenditure outturns on GOV.UK. They are currently published from 2007/08 until 2014/15 with budget and forecast figures for 2015/16. Figures in relation to defences against flooding and land drainage are included in the statistics.The Environment Agency invests in flood and coastal erosion risk management. Whilst in some cases there may also be secondary drainage benefits of this work, the Environment Agency does not measure those benefits and so cannot report on spending on drainage.The table below shows the Environment Agency’s expenditure on flood and coastal erosion risk management in each of the past ten years, with budget figures for the current year. All figures are in £m, with real terms figures given at 2015/16 prices.Year TotalTotal Real Terms2005/06445.1549.72006/07439.7528.72007/08459.4536.72008/09 565.6644.62009/10 620.1688.92010/11 651.6704.42011/12 548.5582.52012/13537.1561.42013/14535.9548.82014/15569.3575.02015/16601.4601.4In addition to the above, exceptional funding of £30m; £180m; and £60m was provided to the Environment Agency in financial years 2013/14, 2014/15 and 2015/16 respectively (cash terms), following the winter 2013/14 flood event.

Tigers: Conservation

Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussion they have had with the governments of China, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam about combatting the illegal tiger trade and tiger farming in those countries.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The UK Government remains committed to playing a leading international role in tackling the illegal wildlife trade (IWT), including in tigers, and working with our international partners to bring an end to this scourge.Issues concerning illegal trade in tigers, their parts and derivatives are addressed through the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES). The UK is an active member of the CITES Working Group on tigers and issues discussed include illegal trade and captive tiger breeding. The Working Group has submitted a report of its work for consideration at the CITES Standing Committee meeting to be held in Geneva on 11–15 January 2016.The UK has engaged with China, Laos and Vietnam on IWT through two high-level international Conferences on IWT, the first of which was hosted by the UK in London in February 2014 and which was attended by all three countries. China and Vietnam also attended the Kasane Conference on IWT in Botswana in March 2015, in which the UK played an active role. The UK will be providing support to Vietnam to host a third high-level international Conference on IWT, due to take place in late 2016, and will be encouraging Thailand’s participation. The UK’s diplomatic posts also engage with the relevant authorities in all three countries about how best to tackle IWT.The Government has also committed £13 million to support projects around the world to tackle illegal wildlife trade by reducing demand, strengthening law enforcement and developing sustainable livelihoods for communities affected by IWT, primarily through Defra’s Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund. A second round of the Challenge Fund was launched on 5 August and successful applicants will be notified in early 2016.

Tigers: Conservation

Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what funding they are making available under the UK Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund to combat the illegal tiger trade and tiger farming.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: In December 2013, Defra and the Department for International Development announced a £10 million fund over the period from 2014/15 to 2017/18 to help developing countries tackle the illegal wildlife trade, to be administered by Defra. In March 2015, the Secretary of State for International Development announced that an additional £3 million would be made available for this purpose. Most of this funding is distributed through the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund.Nineteen successful projects from the first round of the UK Government’s Challenge Fund were announced in December 2014. These included a number of projects that aimed to reduce the demand for illegal wildlife products in Asia, build capacity and strengthen law enforcement to combat wildlife trafficking. Challenge Funding directly benefitting tigers includes a £210,000 contribution towards a project strengthening institutional frameworks to combat wildlife trafficking in Indonesia, which is also supporting local communities mitigate human-tiger conflict. The Fund has also contributed over £59,000 to a project producing educational children’s videos in Vietnam, one of which is on tigers, to help reduce the demand for illegal wildlife products.A second round of the Challenge Fund opened in August 2015. We expect to announce the successful projects from the second round early this year.

Elephants: Conservation

Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of India about the conservation of Asian elephants including banning the use of elephants in tourist attractions.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The UK is committed to conserving Asian elephants and recognises the growing threats to their populations, particularly from poaching and cross-border illegal trade in live animals to meet the demand from the tourist and entertainment industries. The UK has been working internationally through the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species to increase protection for Asian elephants. In 2014 the UK led successful efforts to ensure that Asian elephant range states have relevant legislation and enforcement in place to tackle illegal cross-border trade.During Indian Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the UK on 12 November, he and the Prime Minister issued a joint statement resolving to work together to improve protection for both captive and wild Asian elephants. This provides a firm foundation for future co-operation with India to address this important issue.

Cats: Animal Welfare

Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have had any discussions with International Cat Care and the World Small Animal Veterinary Association about international feline welfare issues.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Ministers have not been approached by International Cat Care or the World Small Animal Veterinary Association so no such discussions have taken place.

Floods: Insurance

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the delay in the introduction of Flood Re on those houses recently flooded in Cumbria and elsewhere.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Until Flood Re becomes operational, the insurance industry is continuing to make insurance available to those policy holders at high flood risk, as agreed to in the Statement of Principles.Flood Re has submitted a comprehensive application for authorisation to the financial regulators, and is engaging with them. Flood Re is continuing to build and implement the systems necessary to support the operational launch of the scheme in April 2016.